OT: Coffee Crisis?

[William]

I know many of use enjoy a good cup of joe/espresso, and there are varying levels of coffee geek-eee-ness represented here on the forum (yes, I am an admitted coffee geek :) ) so I thought there might be a little interest in an article in the current issue of Scientific American.

In Brief

*Cultivated coffee trees are under serious threat from climate change, disease and insect pests.
*The homogeneity of the crop makes it particularly vulnerable: nearly all of the world's cultivated coffeeoriginated with a handful of plants grown in Ethiopia.
*Little scientific research has gone into cultivating coffee, but that situation is beginning to change. Scientists are now hurrying to introduce helpful new genes into the crop through crossbreeding methods.
*They are mining gene banks and wild plants for as wide a variety of genes as they can find to fortify the crop against looming trouble.

"The coffee that the caterer had set down alongside some guava-filled pastries was tepid and bitter, with top notes of chlorine. Several of the guests would not touch it, no matter how much they craved caffeine. Standing on a narrow balcony, facing the scrubby hills of Turrialba, Costa Rica, they sipped water or pineapple juice instead. They were entitled to a little coffee snobbery. The roughly 20 people gathered this past March at CATIE, an agricultural university, to discuss the uncertain future of Central American coffee included leading experts on humanity's most beloved beverage.

They had convened to discuss a serious threat: coffee rust, or roya, as it is known in Spanish. The rust is a fungus that infects the plants' leaves, making them unable to absorb the sunlight they need to survive. It has ravaged the region's crop over the past few years, afflicting approximately half of the one million acres planted across Central America and slashing production by about 20 percent in 2012 compared with 2011.

The outbreak, which is still spreading, is just one crisis looming over coffee in our era of global warming. “Most coffee varieties today aren't likely to be able to tolerate disease and insect pressures, as well as increased heat and other environmental threats from climate change,”......."

http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v311/n4/full/scientificamerican1014-68.html





Is our post ride espresso in jeopardy? :confused:

I wasn't aware that the majority of coffee production worldwide basically only comes from two (essentially) genetically weak strains. Coffee science to the rescue!








William

[William]

From the article....

[fiamme red]

Bananas are in danger too: http://www.wnyc.org/story/will-cavendish-banana-go-exinct/.

Yes, we have no bananas? :banana:

[Ken Robb]

At least there will be plenty of Soylent Green. :)

[terry]

As long as there is no beer shortage I'm OK.

[Louis]

If I remember my college economics, as long as you're willing to pay higher prices for it, I can pretty much assure you that the odds of this really happening to coffee is nil.

And since the price of a cup of coffee is a teeny, teeny percentage of what the grower is paid, that makes it doubly likely that there won't be much of a disruption at this end.

[Jaq]

Egads, what a dilemma for the hipsters. Will they pony up the cash; or will they suck up their GMO-bred, iced, half caff, ristretto, venti, 4-Pump, sugar-free, cinnamon, dolce soy skinny latte?

[Kirk007]

Bananas are in danger too: http://www.wnyc.org/story/will-cavendish-banana-go-exinct/.

Yes, we have no bananas? :banana:

This thread could have a long and depressing downward spiral of food supply changes and attendant consequences. With ocean acidification and overfishing we can likely kiss goodbye the vast majority of fish and shellfish we currently enjoy. And did anyone else catch the news story on the draining of groundwater acquifers across the world?

[Louis]

This thread could have a long and depressing downward spiral of food supply changes and attendant consequences. With ocean acidification and overfishing we can likely kiss goodbye the vast majority of fish and shellfish we currently enjoy. And did anyone else catch the news story on the draining of groundwater acquifers across the world?

Economists like Simon (rip) and Ehrlich and are still arguing about it, but I bet polar bears care about the "Limits to Growth."

[Kirk007]

And I just read on Facebook that chocolate is also on the list. No coffee, chocolate yikes....

[callt5]

Maybe it's time to invest in Tylenol!

[merlincustom1]

If I remember my college economics, as long as you're willing to pay higher prices for it, I can pretty much assure you that the odds of this really happening to coffee is nil.

And since the price of a cup of coffee is a teeny, teeny percentage of what the grower is paid, that makes it doubly likely that there won't be much of a disruption at this end.

Except the growers are feeling it already.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/30/latin-america-climate-change-coffee-crops-rust-fungus-threat-hemileaia-vastatrix

[roadie7]

I've had to reduce the real coffee consumption and have tried numerous decaf selections over the last several years.While we use the Keurig system I have the filter to use any brand. I was wondering if anyone can suggest a good decaf coffee ? I like strong dark coffee in both regular and decaf. Thanks.

[oldguy00]

Lol, didn't everyone on this forum rush out and buy peanut butter a couple years ago due to the threat of shortages/prices?? :)

[oldguy00]

I've had to reduce the real coffee consumption and have tried numerous decaf selections over the last several years.While we use the Keurig system I have the filter to use any brand. I was wondering if anyone can suggest a good decaf coffee ? I like strong dark coffee in both regular and decaf. Thanks.

After having averaged 4-5 hours sleep per night for the past 6+ years, my doc wants me to cut back too.... :(

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . GMO coffee. Just a matter of time before Nibali looks like this! :eek:

BBD

[93legendti]

Lol, didn't everyone on this forum rush out and buy peanut butter a couple years ago due to the threat of shortages/prices?? :)

They are very desperate these days....as each doomsday prediction fails to come true, they have to come up with a new one. The answer is always raise taxes. Good stuff...the sky is falling:


GREENHOUSE WARMING NATIONS MAY VANISH, U.N. SAYS

Source: From Herald Wire Services Southern Cross Astronomical
Society
A senior U.N. environmental official says entire nations could be wiped off the face of the Earth by rising sea levels if the global warming trend is not reversed by the year 2000. Coastal flooding and crop failures would create an exodus of "eco-refugees," threatening political chaos, said Noel Brown, director of the New York office of the United Nations U.N. Environment Program, or UNEP. He said governments have a 10-year window of opportunity to solve the [problem].

Published on July 5, 1989, Page 2E, Miami Herald, The (FL)


Quote by Sir John Houghton, first chairman of IPCC: “Unless we announce disasters, no one will listen.”

Quote by Al Gore, former vice president: “I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangerous it is, as a predicate for opening up the audience to listen to what the solutions are, and how hopeful it is that we are going to solve this crisis.”

Quote by Stephen Schneider, Stanford Univ., environmentalist: “That, of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have.”

Hard to fathom people not on salary still wasting time on global warming....

So many Jon Grubers...so little time...

[oldpotatoe]

They are very desperate these days....as each doomsday prediction fails to come true, they have to come up with a new one. The answer is always raise taxes. Good stuff...the sky is falling:


GREENHOUSE WARMING NATIONS MAY VANISH, U.N. SAYS

Source: From Herald Wire Services Southern Cross Astronomical
Society
A senior U.N. environmental official says entire nations could be wiped off the face of the Earth by rising sea levels if the global warming trend is not reversed by the year 2000. Coastal flooding and crop failures would create an exodus of "eco-refugees," threatening political chaos, said Noel Brown, director of the New York office of the United Nations U.N. Environment Program, or UNEP. He said governments have a 10-year window of opportunity to solve the [problem].

Published on July 5, 1989, Page 2E, Miami Herald, The (FL)


Quote by Sir John Houghton, first chairman of IPCC: “Unless we announce disasters, no one will listen.”

Quote by Al Gore, former vice president: “I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangerous it is, as a predicate for opening up the audience to listen to what the solutions are, and how hopeful it is that we are going to solve this crisis.”

Quote by Stephen Schneider, Stanford Univ., environmentalist: “That, of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have.”

Hard to fathom people not on salary still wasting time on global warming....

So many Jon Grubers...so little time...

Here we go..vote early and vote often.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/18/senate-keystone-xl-pipeline-vote/19230347

[Cicli]

This.

[coffeecake]

I was wondering if anyone can suggest a good decaf coffee ?

I would suggest Kickapoo Coffee Roasters' Ethiopian Decaf blend. http://www.kickapoocoffee.com/

Why? Because I bought it without reading the label closely and didn't realize it was decaf. I drank it for two weeks and didn't notice anything because the flavor was on par with caffeinated blends. When I ran out of bean and looked at the tin, I was shocked to see it was decaf. It was that good.

[Mr. Pink]

Sounds like the world needs a few Walter Whites to cook an alternative.

[texbike]

Lol, didn't everyone on this forum rush out and buy peanut butter a couple years ago due to the threat of shortages/prices?? :)

We still have a 55 gallon drum of Skippy in the garage!

At least there will be plenty of Soylent Green. :)

:cool: Awesome!

Texbike

[Kirk007]

They are very desperate these days....as each doomsday prediction fails to come true, they have to come up with a new one. The answer is always raise taxes. Good stuff...the sky is falling:


GREENHOUSE WARMING NATIONS MAY VANISH, U.N. SAYS

Source: From Herald Wire Services Southern Cross Astronomical
Society
A senior U.N. environmental official says entire nations could be wiped off the face of the Earth by rising sea levels if the global warming trend is not reversed by the year 2000. Coastal flooding and crop failures would create an exodus of "eco-refugees," threatening political chaos, said Noel Brown, director of the New York office of the United Nations U.N. Environment Program, or UNEP. He said governments have a 10-year window of opportunity to solve the [problem].

Published on July 5, 1989, Page 2E, Miami Herald, The (FL)


Quote by Sir John Houghton, first chairman of IPCC: “Unless we announce disasters, no one will listen.”

Quote by Al Gore, former vice president: “I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangerous it is, as a predicate for opening up the audience to listen to what the solutions are, and how hopeful it is that we are going to solve this crisis.”

Quote by Stephen Schneider, Stanford Univ., environmentalist: “That, of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have.”

Hard to fathom people not on salary still wasting time on global warming....

So many Jon Grubers...so little time...

Hey Adam, you can get waterfront property real cheap these days in the South Pacific and the coastal areas of Alaska ... in fact they may be willing to trade straight across for some property in Michigan buried under 5 feet of snow in November.

[spiderman]

Roast, grind, brew...repeat
Anything else is just pretending;)
Although setting off the fire alarm
In the downtown condo isn't for everyone
I think it's way under rated:)
Green yergacheffe beans
Roasting with the Behmor 1600
Grind with a mazzer
Brew with a 58mm bottomless portafilter
On the rocket
About does it for me!

[oldguy00]

Roast, grind, brew...repeat
Anything else is just pretending;)
Although setting off the fire alarm
In the downtown condo isn't for everyone
I think it's way under rated:)
Green yergacheffe beans
Roasting with the Behmor 1600
Grind with a mazzer
Brew with a 58mm bottomless portafilter
On the rocket
About does it for me!


Do you have the 1600, or the 1600 plus? How do you like it? Any issues? Was pondering buying myself one for the holidays... :)
Would love to get a hottop, but too expensive.

[spiderman]

Do you have the 1600, or the 1600 plus? How do you like it? Any issues? Was pondering buying myself one for the holidays... :)
Would love to get a hottop, but too expensive.

i've tried quite a few different things and short of a commercial roaster
the behmor 1600 + is really working for me...
i found the gene cafe a little easier to control roast times on
but ended up having it catch on fire
and burned it in a cloud of yellow purple smoke
a couple months ago

no issues with the behmor + except setting the fire alarm off
at the lake reroasting a light roast...which isn't really recommended anyway:)

[Kirk007]

...the sky is falling:


Indeed it is - one snow flake at a time - http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/11/19/lake_effect_snow_in_buffalo_climate_change_is_maki ng_snowstorms_more_extreme.html

:bike:

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . inevitably do little to contribute to a reasoned, civil discussion here, and are the reason otherwise interesting threads like this get locked.

Need I say more? Thanks.

BBD

They are very desperate these days....as each doomsday prediction fails to come true, they have to come up with a new one. The answer is always raise taxes. Good stuff...the sky is falling:


GREENHOUSE WARMING NATIONS MAY VANISH, U.N. SAYS

Source: From Herald Wire Services Southern Cross Astronomical
Society
A senior U.N. environmental official says entire nations could be wiped off the face of the Earth by rising sea levels if the global warming trend is not reversed by the year 2000. Coastal flooding and crop failures would create an exodus of "eco-refugees," threatening political chaos, said Noel Brown, director of the New York office of the United Nations U.N. Environment Program, or UNEP. He said governments have a 10-year window of opportunity to solve the [problem].

Published on July 5, 1989, Page 2E, Miami Herald, The (FL)


Quote by Sir John Houghton, first chairman of IPCC: “Unless we announce disasters, no one will listen.”

Quote by Al Gore, former vice president: “I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangerous it is, as a predicate for opening up the audience to listen to what the solutions are, and how hopeful it is that we are going to solve this crisis.”

Quote by Stephen Schneider, Stanford Univ., environmentalist: “That, of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have.”

Hard to fathom people not on salary still wasting time on global warming....

So many Jon Grubers...so little time...

[William]

Kirk, don't take the bait!;);):D







William

[rain dogs]

They are very desperate these days....as each doomsday prediction fails to come true, they have to come up with a new one. The answer is always raise taxes. Good stuff...the sky is falling:
...

Hard to fathom people not on salary still wasting time on global warming....

So many Jon Grubers...so little time...

Aren't you the guy who very incorrectly wrote that Germany had "given up on solar power"?

I have three simple questions for you:

Do you disbelieve that the Earth's climate is being changed at an accelerated pace due to anthropogenic activity?

Do you believe that the Earth and the biosphere are not subject to finite limits and increases in concentration of substances (ie."pollution')?

Where do you think pollution goes, when it goes "out there"? Do you think it 'disappears' or do you think it increases in concentration in the biosphere?

[verticaldoug]

Aren't you the guy who very incorrectly wrote that Germany had "given up on solar power"?

I have three simple questions for you:

Do you disbelieve that the Earth's climate is being changed at an accelerated pace due to anthropogenic activity?

Do you believe that the Earth and the biosphere are not subject to finite limits and increases in concentration of substances (ie."pollution')?

Where do you think pollution goes, when it goes "out there"? Do you think it 'disappears' or do you think it increases in concentration in the biosphere?

lag, log, stationary and death

[unterhausen]

it still baffles me why climate change and environmental protection in general are a partisan issue. If those of us that are concerned about it are wrong, then nothing bad happens. If the denialists are wrong, we'll know because really bad things happen. And I"m not talking about having to go cold turkey on coffee, although that sort of thing is also going to be prevalent.

The person I knew that was most concerned about climate change of anyone I have met was a die-hard Republican who worked for the CIA.

[oldpotatoe]

it still baffles me why climate change and environmental protection in general are a partisan issue. If those of us that are concerned about it are wrong, then nothing bad happens. If the denialists are wrong, we'll know because really bad things happen. And I"m not talking about having to go cold turkey on coffee, although that sort of thing is also going to be prevalent.

The person I knew that was most concerned about climate change of anyone I have met was a die-hard Republican who worked for the CIA.

Cuz if you believe in climate change and do something about it, two things will happen.

-the economy will go belly up

-your base won't vote for you

Number one won't happen. The 'green' economy will be more robust than a brown one

Number 2 will happen, but that's a good thing.